Balochistan

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province by area (347,190 km²—44% of national territory) yet its least populated, with 15 million residents yielding the country's lowest population density. The province sits atop vast mineral reserves—gold, copper, coal, natural gas—yet remains the most underdeveloped region with unemployment, zero industrialization, and persistent poverty. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) concentrates transformative investment here: Gwadar Port (the $230 million new international airport now complete) positions Balochistan on global trade routes near the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of world oil trade passes. Yet CPEC benefits have sparked violence: since 2021, Baloch separatist groups and jihadists have increasingly targeted Chinese nationals working on corridor projects, reflecting anger over resource exploitation and federal neglect. The Pakistan-Afghanistan power-sharing agreement cut electricity shortages by 35% in Balochistan by 2022, while special economic zones along the western CPEC alignment promise industrialization. Quetta, the provincial capital, serves as a commercial hub but the vast territory remains largely desert and mountain—a frontier zone where development ambitions collide with separatist grievances.